Here's what he's saying. Here's how I serve. Realizing it was a privilege. Man, that sure brings everything together. When we understand to serve God is a privilege that God would use someone like me. What an awesome God.
This is treasure truth with pastor and author James Ford, junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us. As today we begin a message from acts chapter 20 called How to Have an Effective Ministry and pastor. Before we hear the message and dive in and look at maybe some other things, maybe having a right understanding of the fact that God
uses sinful people like us to accomplish his purposes. To be involved in ministry would be a pretty good place to start.
Oh yeah, and all you have to do is just if you read your Bible, what you're going to find is Ideas. All gods, heroes and sheroes have flaws and God is like my pastor. He came to our church one time and he gave. He's a concert pianist. He has a doctorate in rhetoric and he played. He takes five random notes and makes a song. Afterward he said to me, he said, Beauford, he calls me by my nickname, Beauford. Uh, get your piano tuned up and fixed. You have two
dead keys. And I said, wait a minute. You were able to play like that with two dead keys? He said something I'll never forget. He said, well, you know, I am a trained classical pianist. I said, oh, you're a master. He said, well, if you want to say that. And I said, wow. I said, you're a master who's able to transpose the music Showing the flaws. I said, I'm going to preach that. He said, I knew you were. Yeah. That's it. And so broken keys. Yeah. Beautiful music. That's
our God. That's it. He takes us with the broken keys of our lives, transposes his power over them and makes beautiful music so that everybody can see that the Lord is good.
Yeah, well, that's one of the things that I still marvel at sometimes, that God would choose to use broken people like us when he doesn't need to. But what a privilege it is to be used by him.
Amen.
So we have a lot of broken people who may desire to be involved in ministry. God has done something incredible in their lives and they say, now I want to serve him. I want to have an effective ministry. Um, help us get an idea of what, uh, or how you're defining what is an effective ministry, because that's what today's message is all about.
Well, here's how I'll define that, Steve. Eve. There's a word teleos, and it's translated perfect. Mature. When is a person teleos when they're fulfilling that for which they have been created? These mikes. Uh, they can be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Would you agree?
Oh, sure.
Could there be more expensive mikes, even though these are very expensive?
Yes they are. And yes, there are many more expensive mikes.
But they're perfect because they fulfill that for which they were created. They magnify my voice. Yeah. You have to ask yourself, am I doing what God called me to do? Am I using what we talked about in earlier broadcast? Am I using my gifts? Okay, I'm going to have, uh, issues as I'm utilizing it, but that's why I have first John one nine. If I confess my sins, he's faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness, to reestablish me so that I can continue
to serve him. Yeah. Nobody's going to be perfect, and no one's going to be sinless. Even though as we continue to walk with him, we sin less and less and less.
Yeah. Well, this is kind of a unique broadcast, because this is not a message that you preach to your congregation. This was a special DVD you did for your leadership.
That's right. So that we weren't going to have a meeting. And I wanted them to have instruction. And so this is the result.
All right. So if you don't hear the normal whooping and holler and that that's why. But man the content is great. It's from acts 20. Open your Bible. Join us there as we begin this message. How to have an effective ministry. Here's Pastor Ford.
Well, when I was a student at the Moody Bible Institute, uh, a pastor came and preached to us at pastor's conference, and he said, listen, if you're going to be a pastor, uh, you need at least three things to have an effective ministry. He said, you've got to have the mind of a scholar, that you've got to have the heart of a child. And he said, you have to have the hide of a rhinoceros. Well, I've been pastoring a long time, and I guarantee you that that man was right. You need
all three of those to have an effective ministry. Now, everybody wants to have an effective ministry. Uh, because God has gifted us and given us, uh, the ability to be able to minister to other people, and I, I don't know if you found it out yet, but ministry is hard work. And so in this text, Paul calls the elders of Ephesus down to an island called Miletus. And he says to them, let me recount to you the effect of my ministry among you, and the timeless
principles are there. Uh, five marks of an effective ministry. Let's look at them and clothe ourselves with this text. It's powerful, especially if you want to be able to hear our Lord and Savior say, well done, thou good and faithful servant. And so then notice the first mark of effective ministry. In verse 17 of acts chapter 20, Paul says this. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus,
and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, you know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, here's the first mark of an effective ministry. He says the first mark of an effective ministry is presence. Be with them. Uh, Paul, uh, this church, uh, is the longest running tenure of our famed apostle Paul. He pastored
this church for three and a half years. You can go back to acts 18 to see, uh, where he founded it and where he he stayed there and pastor them. Now he's getting ready to go to Jerusalem. So he calls them to Miletus, which is approximately 28 miles south of Ephesus, southeast of Ephesus. And he begins to tell them, listen, I want you to know that the first mark of
an effective ministry is presence. Be with them. Now, I remember, uh, one time, uh, a sister said to me, she said, pastor, uh, I won't be with you, uh, on Sunday, but I want you to know that I'll be with you in spirit. You know what I said to her? I said, sis, because you know I do. And I am facetious sometimes a little sarcastic every now and then. And I said to her, I said, sis, I sure appreciate the sentiment, but you know what? Uh, your spirit, uh, can't sing
the songs of Zion. Your spirit can't smile and lift up a bow down head. Uh, your spirit can't reach into your pocketbook. Get your checkbook and write out a tithe checks to the church. So I appreciate the sentiment, but I would rather have your body there. Uh, than than your spirit. And of course, we laughed and chuckled about it. But that's what Paul says. He says, man, the the first mark of an effective ministry is you
gotta show up. And so, I mean, when you begin to look at the church, uh, the, the empty pew, uh, is, is a a loud witness to the effect that many believers don't understand. Hebrews 1025 says, not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another so much the more as you see the day approaching. Acts chapter two, verse 41 and 42 says, they continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine the breaking of bread, fellowship,
and prayer that they gather together every day. And so it's important that you show up in ministry. I mean, isn't that what God did? Think about it. Uh, because, uh, God sent Adam, but his innocence wasn't enough to deal with sin. Sin came into the world. And then God raised up the patriarchs, which means first father or first leader. And, uh, they couldn't lead sin away. And then God raised up the judges to judge, but they couldn't judge sin away.
And so God raised up the prophets to preach, but they couldn't preach sin away. And God raised up the psalmist to sing, and they couldn't sing sin away. And God raised up kings to lead, and they couldn't lead sin away. And so God said, uh, like the old adage, if you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. So our God veiled deity in humanity stepped down, as the old preacher would say, through 42 different generations and hung, bled and died on Calvary for our sin. Man that's powerful.
It was his presence, as a matter of fact. When. When after 400 years of silence, uh, the first word that we get in Matthew chapter one, verse 22 and call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. The first thing that God did to seal, uh, the truth to our hearts, to wipe away our sins, to minister to us, was to be with us, man. Now, now, look, because Paul qualifies, he says the first mark of an effective ministry is presence. Be with them. Notice, he says
that it needs to be a constructive presence. Uh, now notice what he says. And, you know, after what manner? Uh, the NIV says how I lived among you. In other words, there are some people who are with us in body we wish were with us in spirit. Don't shout me down. Amen. Amen. Uh, I mean, you know, they look like they got something in their mouth, and it's real nasty. And they just hold it and they can't spit it out. You know, folk who act as if their spiritual gift is criticism. And, uh,
they've had a charisma bypass. That's what I said. Charisma bypass. And so he says, no, no, no. He said I had a positive effect on you as I was there. And that's what we need. We need presence, but it needs to be constructive. Let me ask you a question. Are you someone who develops the body or destroys the body? Are you someone who builds it up, or are you someone who breaks it down? Paul says no, no, no, no. You know that I had a positive impact on you
while I was there. And. And that's what we want to be. We want to be present and we want to have a constructive presence. But here's the second thing. Not just a constructive presence. But Paul says, I also had a committed presence. Notice what he says. He says, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons. Boy, I like that. Uh, because he says, listen, I was there and I had a committed. There's so many people who are like, what Doctor Warren Wiersbe calls nomads. You
say no, they get mad and off they go. There are too many people who say to you, pastor, I'm behind you, but they don't tell you how far behind you they are. So many people, uh, when things don't go their way, uh, when someone says something or does something and then, boom, they're out of ministry, uh, they leave the church. I mean, it happens all the time, but Paul says not with me. At all seasons in
the good times and in the bad times. Uh, in the in the times where things weren't going right at all when we were on a mountaintop in the Valley, he says, listen, I need you to know I was committed to you. Now, it's amazing to me, uh, because the word seasons here refers to, uh, chronos, uh, man's time. Now, what would be the difference if the word was kairos, which is the word? Generally, we say it's God's time.
Perfect time. Uh, then it would be, uh, he's there because that commitment then is is rooted and grounded in him from God. But he uses chronos, which is people time. And I think there's some there's some truth to be had here. Uh, that. Yes, that the commitment was based on who he was.
Now we're going to have to pause the message right there, but we'll continue to look at how to have an effective ministry. In just one moment. You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford, and if you ever miss a broadcast, come to our website Treasure Truth radio.org. There you can simply listen to programs by streaming them through your computer or mobile device. You can download MP3's for free, or you can order copies of this broadcast on CD. That's
at Treasure Truth Radio. Dot back to the message. Here is Pastor Ford.
So that's the first Mark. How you doing? First mark of an effective ministry presence. Be with them. Here's the second second mark of an effective ministry. Verse 18. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, you know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after I read that already, you know, you know, verse 19, serving the Lord with all humility of mind and many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews. Second mark of an effective ministry
is participation. Be a worker. Here it is. Presence. Be with them. Participation. Be a worker. Now Paul was saying, listen, uh, you know, uh, that not only was I there, I rolled up my sleeves and I got busy. I began to work for the Lord. See, a whole lot of people talk a good game, but they don't walk a
good game. And it's amazing to me that we fail to realize that Ephesians chapter two, verse ten tells us we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, that God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. We have been saved to serve. And so Paul here is saying, listen, listen, I have served the Lord among you. I worked, I worked, you know, I was reading, uh, the etymological construct for the word deacon. It literally means
double worker. It is an amazing. Now I know not at your church and the church that I pastor, but at a whole lot of churches you have deacons who should be double workers doing no work. That's oxymoronic. If I ever heard it and Paul says, yeah, if you want to evaluate my ministry. No, I was there. But then notice I was a worker. No. Not now. I love the way he prefaces this because he tells us several things about his work. Notice, first of all, the
motivation of his participation serving the church. Is that what it says? Uh, serving my ministry, uh, utilizing my gift. Is that what it says? No. He says serving the Lord. The motivation of his participation was serving the Lord. One thing that characterizes my ministry at Christ Bible Church, formerly South Shore Baptist Church is the fact that I don't ask people to serve. And when someone comes to me and they say, um, we need this, we need that,
I usually ask them, Is God leading you to do it? Uh, well. Well, no. Well, then why are you telling me? Well, we need to do it. Well, see, I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. And so if God is leading you to do it, then I will help you and equip you so that you can execute what God has called you. I can't put anything else on my plate. I'm already doing what God has told me to do so that every ministry we have, someone was led by God to start that ministry.
Every ministry. The only thing that I've started is our multi sites and I did that for church planting. You say, what's the point, pastor? Why are you telling us all this? Because uh, the reason I've done that is if I ask them and they get mad at me, Then it's easy for them to step out of it because they did it for me, and now they're mad at me
and they don't speak to me anymore. But you got to realize that if it was God who told them to do it, then even if they get mad at me, they shouldn't leave that ministry because I'm not the one that put them there. I'm not the one who told them to do it. God is the one who told them. And, uh, that's the way it ought to be. And so he says, that's my motivation. Uh, a missionary was sharing, uh, that she was working in a leprosarium. American company came over, uh,
to look for a site to take our jobs. He saw her cleaning out the aperture of where a nose was. And he said to her, ooh, I wouldn't do that for $1 million without losing a beat. She said, It. Neither would I. I do it because I love Jesus. And this is what he's commissioned me to do, man. That's it. That's it. That's it. No amount of money in the world can get her to do that. But Jesus said, I want you to go to India, and I want you to work in a leprosarium, and I
want you to help these people who can't help themselves. Wow. That's the now, now, now motivation answers the question, why? Why are you doing what you're doing? Because if it isn't for the Lord, isn't what the Bible says the Bible tells us whatsoever you do in word and deed, do some, do most. No, it says do all to the glory of God. Why are you doing what you're doing? Why are you serving like you're serving? Why are you preaching what you're preaching? Why are you doing what you're doing?
Why are you singing in a choir? Why are you ministering, greeting, ushering, whatever you're doing? Why are you doing it? Teaching a Sunday school class. Preaching. Elder. Deacon. Ask yourself why? What's my motivation? And I trust that it is what Paul's is when he says I'm serving the Lord. But notice not just the motivation of his participation. Notice secondly, in this text, uh, in this in this point, notice secondly, the manner of his participation. Now motivation tells us why
we serve. Manner tells us how. Listen to what Paul says with all humility of mind. Wow. All humility of mind and many tears. Here's what he's saying. Here's how I serve. Realizing it was a privilege. Man, that sure brings everything together. When we understand to serve God is a privilege that God would use someone like me. What an awesome God. So with all humility of mine, I heard a story of a young man getting ready to do his trial sermon, and he he just, uh, was
was like, fired up. And he was going to get them straight. He had studied this message. He was going to get them straight. So when it came time to preach, he mounted up to the pulpit. He stormed up. Tum tum tum tum tum. He looked at him and glared at him. He's getting ready to preach. And then he forgot his message and he forgot his notes. And he walked down with his head down. He walked down. And when he was on his way down, one of the teenagers, one of the senior saints, met him. And this is
what she said. She said, young man, if you would have went up like you came down, then you would have came down like you went up. Now you think about that. That's powerful. If you would have had humility that you had going down, coming up, then you could have stepped down in boldness that God had used you. And, uh, wow, that's a powerful truth.
Biblical insights on how to have an effective ministry from Pastor Ford. You're listening to Treasure Truth, and you can find us online at Treasure Truth radio.org. Hey, thanks for remembering that this is a listener supported ministry. When you support Treasure Truth with a gift, you're joining us as we present God's Word to anyone with a radio at no cost. And we do this because we want you to grow. We want the church to be equipped, and
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Bible to show God's purpose in the marriage covenant. As you read, you'll discover how to strengthen your marriage God's way. Give a donation and request your copy when you call 888 644 7660 or go online to Treasure Truth Radio.com. Well, I'm Steve Hiller. Our producer is Amy Rios. Join us again tomorrow for part two of this message, how to have an effective ministry that's here on Treasure. Truth. A production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.